Three teens accused of Metairie armed robberies

Authorities have arrested the third and final suspect in a string of holdups that occurred in single night last month in Metairie.

The 16-year-old Kenner boy, a juvenile whose name is being withheld, was booked Thursday with four counts of armed robbery and one count of attempted armed robbery, according to a Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office arrest report.

A grand jury on Tuesday indicted the youth and his co-defendants, Mathew Marroquin, 19, of Kenner, and Jose Mendoza, 17, of Metairie. All three pleaded not guilty Friday in 24th Judicial District Court in Gretna before Judge John Molaison Jr., according to court records.

The four hold-ups occurred Jan. 27 within two hours, according to incident reports.

The first victim, an employee at Petco at 3520 Veterans Memorial Blvd., said he was robbed at gunpoint about 9 p.m. of his wallet and telephone by two men who approached him as he was taking out the trash behind the business.

The second said he was robbed of his wallet while walking to a store on Edenborn Avenue about 50 minutes later.

Around 10:20 p.m., a man standing in a parking lot in the 5200 block of Veterans said he was approached by a single gunman who demanded money. The robber was startled when unexpectedly joined by an accomplice, and both fled without getting any money, according to court records and Sgt. Larry Dyess, spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office.

The last robbery occurred a short time later in a parking lot in the 100 block of Veterans. Two women said they were chatting in a vehicle when they heard a tap at the window and looked up to see a man holding a gun outside of the car, an incident report said. The man took both their purses and fled.

The victims gave similar suspect descriptions and, in some cases, mentioned the robber fled in a silver sedan, according to incident reports.

Marroquin and Mendoza were arrested that night about 11 o'clock at Severn and West Esplanade avenues in Metairie in a silver Honda Civic, according to arrest reports.

The juvenile was taken into custody at his home and gave a statement admitting to the robberies, an arrest report said. Detectives also found some of the stolen property at the house.

Marroquin and Mendoza were sent back to the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center after their arraignment. The juvenile was being held at the L. Robert Rivarde Detention Center in Harvey.